Left Out to Dry
by Drake S. Hellion
Summary: Just a oneshot that popped into my head while replaying ME1 recently. A lesson to all who would cross Integra Shepard, Butcher of Torfan, First Human Spectre and general badass. Udina learns this lesson well that when it comes to matters of galactic peace and stability, you do not cross Shepard. Ever. RnR, oneshot and I own nothing mentioned! Enjoy.


**Left out to Dry**

_**Author Note**__: So, I was playing ME1 again as a semi-Renegade (Basically where I'm nice to my crew and a total ass to everyone else. Because screw the universe Shepard is the Butcher of Torfan!) and I got to the part where Udina (Spoiler! What am I saying, who hasn't beaten ME1?) and the council ground Shepard and it still makes me mad… and a little amazed that Udina didn't shit his pants when my Shepard said "No one stabs me in the back, no one." Now! Here is a oneshot based around that statement from my "get shit done and give none" Shepard! Enjoy_.

**Start!**

_Those snivelling, cowardly, disbelievingly stupid pieces of space trash! _Shepard thought for the umpteenth time since the announcement an hour ago that the Normandy was ground and she couldn't go after Saren after essentially breaking her back, legs and arm trying to track that Turian down across the Traverse. And now she had a damn location to match her target. Ilos, but without the Normandy, which the Council and Udina had voted to lockdown because of their complete and utter fear that the stealthiest ship in the galaxy was going to be caught! Seriously? That was their reasoning for essentially telling her good job now sit down and shut up?

Her biotics flared again and she glared heatedly at the mirror in the women's bathroom, her sharp green eyes livid with rage as her form shook. She sacrificed Gunnery Chief Williams for this? A perfectly good soldier to be benched? She wanted to kill something. More so, she wanted to wring Udina's neck and watch him die.

She would like nothing more than to grab her armor and march into that sellout's office and give him a piece of her mind and a slug through the kneeca-

Shepard blinked once. Slowly, her lips formed into a smirk and she raised her hands, smoothing back her blood red hair and looking back at the mirror with a new, more malicious fire in her eyes. She raised her com and opened a channel to Liara. "Liara? Gather the team. We're taking a little shore leave." she paused. "And tell them to armor up."

"O-Of course, Shepard. But… armor up? Expecting trouble?" The Asari asked with some semblance of caution, the last time Shepard sounded so cheery about shore leave Liara had witnessed a man beaten and broken via Biotic powered punches.

"Trouble? Of course not." Shepard chuckled a bit. "Double time. I'll be down shortly to collect my stuff too." Com closed, the green eyed N7 Vanguard stared at the reflection in the mirror, smirk still plastered on her face she whispered. "Udina. I told you no one stabs me in the back."

"_No one_."

Meanwhile!

Udina sat behind his desk, typing away at his console as he smiled in satisfaction of his latest achievements for Humanity. He had gotten Shepard onto the Spectres and exposed the Turian responsible for Eden Prime's attack. The Alliance was making waves now thanks to his actions and now with the whole Citadel fleet deployed the Citadel was safe from the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius and now all that was needed was to ensure Shepard stayed out of trouble and he would be sitting in the council seat in no time at all. Afterall, Humanity's contributions couldn't go ignored forever.

_Speaking of Shepard_… Udina thought with a small frown. She had been a useful tool in ensuring things had gone as planned up until now, she had accomplished her mission objectives in hunting Saren. She saved Feros without the death of the colonists and exposed ExoGeni's Thorian research. She had killed Matriarch Benezia and, to everyone's shock, spared the Rachni Queen. No doubt damaging images with the council. And the destruction of the prothean ruins on Therum. The Nuclear explosion on Virmire and now a half cocked plan to go into the Terminus Systems to hunt down Saren and stop these "Reapers"? Udina wasn't about to let Shepard jeopardize Humanity's gains because of her obvious playing by Saren.

A sad fate really, once all was said and done. Udina would be sure to give Shepard her due credit for her accomplishments, but for now the best thing to do would be to make sure she kept her head low.

Now where the hell was Anderson?

The doors to his office slid open and he looked up, then watched as the woman of his thoughts stepped into his office with the grace of a panther. She stared at him, her bright green eyes sharp and cold. He almost broke the contact, but knew she would see it as weakness. What was she even doing here?

"Shepard? I didn't send for you." he said, frowning.

The Commander shrugged her shoulders. Then, came the rest of her team, moving in through the door. First up was Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko, going off to her right, then the Krogan, Urdnot Wrex. Tali Zorah Nar'Rayya was behind him and moving to Shepard's left and then came Liara T'soni, the Asari of the team. And finally, Garrus Vakarian to Tali's left.

None had their weapons drawn but Udina still felt like he was suddenly inside a pen full of hungry lions.

"Shepard…" he said, narrowing his eyes. "What do you think you're doing here?"

The woman watched him, then shrugged again in the same nonchalant manner as she waved a hand. "I don't know what you're talking about, Udina. Me and my crew are currently at Flux, dancing the shore leave away." she said, confusing him. She turned to Wrex and nodded.

The Krogan chuckled, turning he hit the door controls, locking them behind the team. Udina frowned, looking to his console-

"Tali."

"On it, Shepard."

The console screen flickered and then turned red. Showing in big, bright white letters. "ACCESS DENIED" The ambassador looked up, outrage taking his features. "Shepard!" he moved to stand, Shepard raised her hand and her biotics flare, Udina felt himself get pushed back down onto his seat, he struggled to move but he was held firmly in place by her mind.

"Ambassador Udina," Shepard spoke smoothly, advancing on his desk with simple, leisurely strides until she was right in front of it. She stared down at the pinned man, eyes sharp as razors and cold as ice.

He felt his palms begin to sweat and his heart rate increase. He was beginning to feel the edges of fear taking hold of him. He kept his face angered, glaring. "Shepard, explain yourself." He seethed, "Now."

She watched him a moment longer before finally speaking. "Y'know what pisses me off nowadays, Udina?" She asked, seemingly innocent as she lowered her hand and freed him of her biotics. He made move to stand again. Shepard snapped her fingers and Liara's biotics flared to life, again Udina was pinned. "People who don't listen." Shepard continued without much care as the man glared at her.

"This is treason!" Udina snarled.

"I mean, It really, really pisses me off." She continued without pause, looking right into his face as she stood there with her arms crossing over her armored chest. "Examples being when I tell someone that there is a threat to galactic stability and peace and even life. Like… oh, I don't know," she tapped her chin twice. "Oh right, the Reapers." she smirked a bit.

Udina frowned, "Shepard. You've got to let go of this obsession of yours. The Reapers. Are. Not. _Real_!"

Shepard stared at him. Then, she shook her head, "Another thing that pisses me off," she looked to her team. They stared back, then she turned back to Udina, her expression blank… before it turned into one of rage as she reached over and gripped the man's jacket with both hands and pulled him over, bringing his face level with hers. "Is wasting the lives of good soldiers who died to ensure I could complete my mission. Like Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. Who died defending a nuclear explosive on Virmire." she snarled into his face.

Udina was taken aback by the ferocity in Shepard's eyes, they spoke of her past. He had read her service record of course, she had grown up on Earth with no parents and surrounded by violence and gangs. Enlisting to escape that life she was quickly accepted into the Special Forces as an N7 where she proved her skills… and ruthlessness on Torfan when not a single pirate escaped her. She was a woman who made sure no enemy ever escaped her claws. She was a hawk.

He was beginning to think maybe he made a mistake when he "stabbed her in the back".

"Chief Williams-"

She headbutted him, actually headbutted him. Blood gushed from his nose as he cried out in pain, he raised his hand to clutch at his bleeding nose when she spoke again. "You don't get to say her name, Udina." she lifted him higher. "Let me ask you a few things, Udina."

"Shepard, I'll see to it you're tried and kille-"

"What am I?" Shepard hissed, glaring.

"Wha-"

"I'm a Spectre. Elected by the council." Shepard cut him off sharply. "And what is my mission, given to me by the Citadel Council?"

Udina glared at her, what was the point of this? "Formerly to Hunt down-"

"To hunt and capture, or in my case, kill rogue Spectre agent Saren Arterius." Shepard finished for him, bringing him back down to her level again and glaring right into his eyes. "And that is still my mission. Because I don't know about you, _Ambassador_." she hissed, "But I didn't hear the words "Your mission is over" from the council, did you?"

Udina stared back at her, eyes confused… taking in her words, he stared, gripping at her hands trying to get them off. "What? I think it was clear your mission-"

"Really?" Shepard asked now, more calmly. "Garrus, Kaiden. Did you hear the good council specifically say my mission to hunt down Saren was over?" she asked without looking at the two mentioned people.

"No, Commander." Kaiden said, arms behind his back, "I did not."

Garrus shook his head and crossed his arms. "Me neither, all I heard was Udina telling you the Normandy was grounded."

Shepard smirked, Udina's mouth gaped open. "The audience speaks. The Council didn't end my mission, Udina." She said, gripping his jacket all the tighter. "_You_ did. And since you're not with the council…" she pushed him back against his desk, where he tumbled onto it and over, rolling onto the floor with a pained groan.

She walked around it casually, as if she hadn't thrown the ambassador for humanity over his desk. She looked down at him as he began to stand back up, "That means you're standing in the way of my mission to hunt and kill Saren Arterius," She reached down and kneeled next to the man. "And you know what I do to people who get in the way of my mission, right?"

Udina's eyes were wide, his blood dripped to the floor of his office and he clenched his fists. Shepard was insane! She was bats hit crazy! She was off the metaphorical rocker! "You're insane, Shepard!" he turned to look at her.

The Commander took his jacket in one hand and lifted him with biotic infused strength. Her other hand went down to her Spectre issue handgun and pulled it free, pressing it to his temple as she spoke. "I'm on a mission. A mission you are impeding."

Udina couldn't speak for moments, too busy freaking the hell out over the powerful handcannon pressed to his head. "You wouldn't dare! I'm the ambassador for the Alliance! You're an Alliance soldier! They'll kill you for this!"

"Wrong. I'm a Spectre and that means that when on a mission. I'm free to bend the laws as I see fit," She replied matter-of-factly. "So if I wanted to blow your back stabbing head off right now because you locked the Normandy down. I damn well can." she stared through him. "Unless of course, you're willing to rescind the lockdown order?"

Udina stared at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. What could he say? The look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. She would pull that trigger, hack his console and do it anyways. She'd be a fugitive on the run, but she was determined… he stared at her, silent.

"Going once…"

There had to be a way he could get out of this.

"Twice."

Somehow… Udina was good at getting out of messes.

"And sold, to the trigger happy woman with sexy red hair," Shepard's finger twitched on the trigger.

"Fine! I'll have lockdown lifted!" Udina shouted, trying to shield himself. When the shot didn't come, he blinked and opened his eyes. Shepard was smirking up at him, looking satisfied. She let him go and he fell to the floor.

"Garrus, Kaiden. Stay here, if he does something that isn't letting us leave this station, shoot him." Shepard instructed as she moved for the door. "The rest of you, Back to the shuttle, we're going to Ilos."

As her team piled out, sides Vakarian and Alenko, she paused, turning to Udina who was just getting back into his seat as his console's lock down was lifted. She stared at him. "I told you, Udina. No one crosses me and lives. You best remember that the next time you do. Because if you do this shit again, I won't be as forgiving about it."

Threat made, she turned and marched out. The door closed behind her and the room felt ten degrees warmer. Garrus chuckled, "Lieutenant. Remind me to buy her a nice birthday present."

"Will do, Garrus." Alenko smiled. "Will do."

Udina just lifted the lockdown, plugged his bleeding nose and slumped in his chair. He realized something today, and that was that Commander Integra Shepard was by far the scariest soldier he had ever met. And that double crossing her would be the last thing he did.

"I need a vaca-"

He fell forward as Garrus decked him with a punch. Alenko looked shocked. "What the hell?!"

"Sorry! I thought he was going for a gun!"

"What gun-?" Alenko stopped, then shook his head and laughed. "Oh, hah! I just got that."

It was then they realized that was the first time they'd used that joke since Shepard did back on Feros. And what a horrible influence she was on them.

**End!**

**There it is, hoped you enjoyed it! Not sure what to classify this as. Other than… huh, Sci-fi! Well, that's all folks. Back to my cave of inactivity!**


End file.
